When William Jasper De Shields was born on 20 May 1838, in Tennessee, United States, his father, Willam Deshields, was 29 and his mother, Elizabeth Martha Mc Bride, was 30. He married Katherine Frances Casey on 1 October 1867. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 2 daughters. He lived in Azusa, Los Angeles, California, United States in 1880. He died on 24 July 1917, in Los Angeles, California, United States, at the age of 79.